MICROSCOPE ASSEMBLY FOR CAPTURING AND DISPLAYING THREE-DIMENSIONAL IMAGES OF A SAMPLE

Abstract

The present invention relates to a microscope assembly for the three-dimensional capture of a sample to be microscopically examined and for the display of three-dimensional images of the sample under the microscope. The microscope assembly comprises an image capture unit for obtaining photographs of the sample and an image processing unit for generating three-dimensional images of the sample from the photographs of the image capture unit. In addition, the microscope assembly comprises at least one display unit for the three-dimensional display of the generated threedimensional images of the sample. According to the invention, the microscope assembly for generating and displaying the three-dimensional images of the sample is configured with an image refresh rate of at least 1 frame per second.

Claims

1. A microscope arrangement for three-dimensionally recording a sample and for presenting three-dimensional images of the sample; comprising: an image recording unit for ascertaining recordings of the sample; an image processing unit for producing three-dimensional images of the sample from the recordings of the image recording unit; and at least one display unit for three-dimensionally presenting the three-dimensional images produced of the sample; wherein said microscope arrangement is configured for producing and presenting the three-dimensional images of the sample with an image repetition frequency of at least 1 image per second.

2. The microscope arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image recording unit is embodied for ascertaining two-dimensional recordings of the sample, and wherein the two-dimensional recordings have different focus settings.

3. The microscope arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional images producible by the image processing unit are viewable in each case from a plurality of positions and/or from a plurality of sides.

4. The microscope arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional images producible by the image processing unit in each case comprise a multiplicity of voxels distributed in three dimensions.

5. The microscope arrangement as claimed in claim 4, further comprising in the three-dimensional images producible by the image processing unit only the voxels that represent a surface of the sample are defined.

6. The microscope arrangement as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the three-dimensional images producible by the image processing unit are formed in each case from at least two of the three-dimensional recordings having a different focus setting.

7. The microscope arrangement as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an electronic control unit for controlling the image recording unit and/or the image processing unit and/or the display unit.

8. The microscope arrangement as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the at least one display unit is embodied in the form of a holographic display unit or a three-dimensional display unit that is wearable on a user's head.

9. The microscope arrangement as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the display unit comprises a plurality of partially transparent mirrors, which are arranged along the perimeter, and a projection unit, which is directed at the partially transparent mirrors and is embodied for the projection of in each case a partial image, assigned to a perspective, of the three-dimensional images onto the individual partially transparent mirrors.

10. The microscope arrangement as claimed in claim 9, wherein the partially transparent mirrors are arranged like the side faces of a pyramid or in the form of a spheroid, and in that the projection unit is directed onto the pyramid or onto the spheroid from above.

11. The microscope arrangement as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a three-dimensional printer for outputting a three-dimensional model of the sample under the microscope.

12. The microscope arrangement as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the image recording unit is embodied for recording images with an extended depth of field, for which purpose the image recording unit comprises a microsystem having mechanically movable micromirrors.

13. The microscope arrangement as claimed in claim 7, wherein the electronic control unit is configured for the simultaneous operation by a plurality of users.

14. The microscope arrangement as claimed in claim 7, wherein the electronic control unit is configured for performing a method for extending the depth of field, said method comprising the following steps: recording the two-dimensional recordings of the sample, wherein the recordings are recorded with different focus settings, with the result that the recordings form a focus stack; and presenting the individual recordings in a temporal succession, as a result of which an imaged presentation of the sample with an extended depth of field is produced.

15. The microscope arrangement as claimed in claim 14, wherein the electronic control unit is furthermore configured for performing a further step of the method for extending the depth of field which is to be performed after the recording of the recordings and in which the recordings are prepared by removing unsharp image portions in the individual recordings, wherein the individual prepared recordings are presented in a temporal succession, as a result of which an imaged presentation of the sample with an extended depth of field is produced.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] Further details and developments of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment, with reference being made to the drawing. In the figures:

[0043] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a preferred embodiment of a microscope arrangement according to the invention;

[0044] FIG. 2 shows a display unit of a preferred embodiment of the microscope arrangement according to the invention; and

[0045] FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of a method that is preferably performed by a control unit of the microscope arrangement according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0046] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a preferred embodiment of a microscope arrangement 01 according to the invention.

[0047] The illustrated embodiment of the microscope arrangement 01 according to the invention firstly comprises an image recording unit 02. The image recording unit 02 can be used to record recordings of a sample (not illustrated). The image recording unit 02 is configured for example to provide images that are suitable for producing three-dimensional images. The image recording unit 02 includes at least one illumination module (not shown), an objective (not shown) for optically imaging the sample, and an image sensor (not shown) for converting the imaged images into an electrical signal. Further preferred embodiments, which are not shown, make recordings from different perspectives possible, that is to say at different recording viewing angles, for which purpose the image recording unit 02 is accordingly embodied, for example in that the image recording unit 02 comprises a plurality of spatially distributed image recording apparatuses.

[0048] An image processing and control unit 03 forms a further constituent part of the microscope arrangement 01. The components of the image processing and control unit 03 used for image processing produce three-dimensional images of the sample from the images that are recorded by the image recording unit 02. According to the invention, at least one three-dimensional image of the sample per second can be produced. The aim is to produce more than one three-dimensional image of the sample per second. Preferably, it should be possible to generate 10 to 60 images of the sample per second, and with further preference up to 300 images of the sample per second. The components of the image processing and control unit 03 serving for control purposes control the image recording unit 02 and preferably also interact at least with some of the constituent parts of the microscope arrangement 01 that will be described below. In alternative embodiments, the image processing and control unit 03 can be realized by separate assemblies.

[0049] The microscope arrangement 01 furthermore comprises a three-dimensional display unit 04 for presenting the three-dimensional images of the sample. The three-dimensional display unit 04 can be embodied for example in the form of a holographic display unit or of a three-dimensional display unit that is wearable on a user's head, such as for example in the form of 3D glasses or a head-mounted display. A two-dimensional display unit 05 serves for presenting two-dimensional images of the sample. It is additionally possible to present three-dimensional and two-dimensional images at the same time or separately using the three-dimensional display unit 04.

[0050] A three-dimensional model of the sample is printable using a three-dimensional printer 07. The printed three-dimensional model of the sample can be compared to the three-dimensional model of the sample that is displayed on the three-dimensional display unit 04. To this end, the microscope arrangement 01 is equipped with a comparison unit 08. The comparison unit 08 includes corresponding components for the digitization of the printed three-dimensional model of the sample.

[0051] The microscope arrangement 01 furthermore includes an operating unit 09 which can be used to input control commands by users to control the individual units of the microscope arrangement 01. The operating unit 09 is preferably an electronic mobile device, preferably a freely programmable mobile phone or a tablet computer. Alternatively, the operating unit 09 can also be a computer mouse, a touchpad, a keyboard or a joystick. It is additionally possible for functional elements of the operating unit 09 to be presented using the three-dimensional display unit 04 or using the two-dimensional display unit 05 at the same time as the images of the sample.

[0052] Furthermore, the microscope arrangement 01 is equipped with a data interface 10. The data that are captured by the image recording unit 02 and/or prepared by the control and image processing unit 03 can be transmitted to external devices 12 via the data interface 10. The external devices 12 for example can make visualization of the data for users located at remote locations possible. Moreover, the data can be processed further, evaluated or delivered to an external storage medium.

[0053] FIG. 2 shows the display unit 04 of a preferred embodiment of the microscope arrangement according to the invention. In this embodiment, the display unit 04 is based on Pepper's ghost principle. The display unit 04 comprises a frame 14, on which three or four partially transparent partially reflective mirrors 15 are mounted along the perimeter. The display unit 04 furthermore comprises a projection unit 16, which is formed by a flat-panel screen and is directed onto the partially transparent mirrors 15 from above. The partially transparent mirrors 15 are arranged like the side faces of a pyramid. The projection unit 16 is embodied for the projection of in each case a partial image, assigned to a perspective, of a three-dimensional image 17 that is to be presented in each case onto the individual partially transparent mirrors 15. The three-dimensional image 17 is produced in the intermediate space between the partially transparent mirrors 15 in the form of a three-dimensional vision, which can be viewed from different perspectives 18.

[0054] FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of a preferred embodiment of a method which serves for extending the depth of field without major outlay and is implemented by the electronic image processing and control unit 03 (shown in FIG. 1). With this method, it is possible to image a sample without major outlay with an extended depth of field. In one step of this method, a multiplicity of two-dimensional images or recordings of the sample are recorded, wherein the two-dimensional images are recorded with different focus settings. The recorded two-dimensional images or recordings thus form a focus stack and the basis of a three-dimensional image. In a further step, unsharp constituent parts in the individual two-dimensional images are removed or masked, such that the two-dimensional images exhibit substantially only sharp portions. In a further step, the display unit 04 (shown in FIG. 1) is used to present the images, which now only contain the sharp portions, in a rapid temporal sequence, as a result of which an imaged presentation of the sample having an extended depth of field is produced. On account of the display of the imaged presentations with extended depth of field from different perspectives using the display unit 04 (shown in FIG. 1), a three-dimensional presentation of the three-dimensional image formed from the two-dimensional recordings is obtained.